Arsenal had waited seven years to prove they could meet Bayern Munich as equals and, after a riveting night’s work that leaves this quarter-final tantalisingly poised, they made their point. This second-half salvage job was all the more impressive given they had squandered an early lead and, for a time, summoned visions of the 5-1 routs inflicted in their last three meetings.
Serge Gnabry and a Harry Kane penalty had overturned Bukayo Saka’s strike but Mikel Arteta’s players showed guts to avoid any repeat against previously off-form opponents who had turned up resoundingly. They were rewarded when the substitute Leandro Trossard, with a marvellous piece of execution, equalised 14 minutes from time. For the next week at least, it answered those pondering which iteration of Bayern would arrive for this tie.
Arteta had remembered looking over and feeling the self-assuredness that oozed from their serial winners whenever Arsenal readied themselves for what, back in the mid-2010s, seemed an annual humbling. The only current reminders of that era on show here were Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich and three of Bayern’s substitutes; perhaps the vision of Kane preparing for kick-off was a more relevant sharpener for Arsenal’s current brood.
Arteta knew that, for all the noise around Bayern’s torments, Arsenal were facing opponents with the history and muscle memory of champions. He had called for the crowd, more partisan than ever due to a ban on away fans, to be a “wind” at their backs and how they responded: this was Arsenal’s return to the elite and its significance crackled in the air.
Within 12 minutes the fizz became an explosion. Arsenal had already served notice that they might outmatch Bayern for intensity, Gabriel Martinelli shooting just wide after Saka had nipped ahead of Alphonso Davies, and their insistent running soon bore fruit. Davies partly halted a Saka burst down the right but Kai Havertz was sharper than Gnabry to the loose ball and allowed Ben White to play a smart 10-yard pass into the box. Saka, its recipient, let the ball run across him before whipping an irresistible low shot to Neuer’s right.
Davies, already booked for a foul on Saka that rules him out of the second leg, had endured a torrid start and so had his teammates. Within four minutes of the opener a loose Gnabry header was seized on by Havertz, who played a marauding White through. A forward would surely have scored; White let Neuer smother and, while Bayern were evincing the defensive disarray that has marred their season, the miss proved significant.
That is because Bayern, for all their flaws, always have a goal in them. The regret for Arsenal was that it felt so cheap. Gabriel Magalhães was under no pressure when collecting possession inside his own half but, spooked by David Raya’s decision to advance 45 yards from goal, aimed a pass vaguely towards Jakub Kiwior. It was met by Leroy Sané, who quickly recycled to Leon Goretzka; the midfielder then played in a bursting Gnabry for a smart finish against his old employers.
Just after the half-hour it was, against all previous indications, two and Arsenal could curse a defensive naivety that had resurfaced from nowhere. Sané was allowed to scythe into their area and, after Jorginho had missed a challenge and Gabriel pulled out of one, William Saliba clumsily intervened. Kane was always going to assume penalty duties and, facing down 60,000 jeers, stayed cool.
When Sané almost immediately streaked clear into an empty Arsenal half the scene briefly recalled those humiliations of yore. White recovered at the last to save the day and, even at that point, perhaps the tie.
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It was little surprise to see Kiwior, who had struggled at left-back, replaced for the second half by Oleksandr Zinchenko. Arsenal needed to strike a balance between rediscovering their earlier verve and avoiding further damage. For their part Bayern had something to grasp; they became happier to niggle and Kane took the idea too far when catching Gabriel with an elbow. The sanction could arguably have been more severe than a booking.
Goretzka bobbled anticlimactically wide in the 57th minute and, despite Arsenal’s need, a Bayern goal looked marginally more likely as the hour approached. Arteta’s side had lost their way and, correctly perceiving a drop in energy around him, Arteta implored his public to dial the volume back up. But Bayern’s new-found resolve was exemplified when Eric Dier, heavily mocked by the crowd earlier, thundered in to cleanly tackle Martinelli and they came close again when Sané blasted over from a tight angle.
On came Trossard and Gabriel Jesus, who conjured the ideas Arsenal had lacked since falling behind. It took barely 10 minutes for Jesus, tricking into the area and outfoxing Matthijs de Ligt, to tee up a swept first-time finish from his colleague. Kingsley Coman struck a post late on while Saka had a penalty shout dismissed and the tie remains deadlocked.